For What It's Worth
by snakepit
Summary: AU/Prostitute!Levi Both of them have their stories. Levi, a well known prostitute who's best suited with no morals; and Eren, fresh out of medical school and more suicidal than meets the eye.


**Authors Note: **

Another project I've been working on until I can finish the chapters for my other stories. This one will probably be finished before any of my other fics because it's gonna be short (10 chapters top but the chapters will probably be longer than most of my other ones.) There are a lot of triggers, just to warn you, and the story is revolved around nothing but drugs, prostitution and some rape and abuse. Levi will be a bit OOC until about the 3rd chapter. Enjoy! nwn As always, reviews are greatly appreciated and helps motivate me~

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><p><em><strong>For What It's Worth<strong>__; Anything To Keep You Around_

Silver eyes glared at the red neon numbers sitting on the dresser of a strangers' bedroom. It was 3 minutes till 4 AM and time for him to leave before this blond stranger woke up. Ignoring the loud snores coming from Erwin, the drunk man who had picked him up, he slipped out of bed carefully and picked his clothes up off of the floor. He made his way to the bathroom, got a fresh towel and wetted it before wiping away the dried up liquid on his thighs and stomach. Strictly avoiding eye contact with his reflection, he dressed himself and swept his bangs back before spraying some of the man's deodorant on himself and leaving the bathroom. He picked up the wadded cash left on the dresser for him.

In the livingroom he saw photos of this man with a ginger woman and a child. He shook his head, feeling even more disgusted with himself than before for having just slept with a married man. He didn't understand the concept of cheating, but never being in a relationship, he never tried to. He left the house with the door unlocked and wrapped his arms around himself. He squeezed himself to consume the little warmth he had left. All he had on was his street walker outfit; tight black shorts and a baggy black tank top that fell a little over his thighs and exposed half of his chest and back. At least he had his knee-high leather boots that held in some warmth—though, socks were prohibited and were replaced with his pale skin tone of panty hose.

He had a boss to please—Pixis was his street name. No one who worked for him knew his real name; which was fine with Levi considering the job paid well. Sleep with men for 6 hours, go home, shower, eat, wake up and do it again. It was just like a desk job, except his paid 3K a week. That's all that kept him in this business anymore. He hated the feeling that this job brought; absolutely disgusting—but it was better than living on the street again.

He cut down his walk home by taking a cab instead and gave the cab driver a crumbled 20 dollar bill. Naturally the man looked at him strangely and tried to give him the, "You're better than this; you can do better than this." speech. Levi laughed it off, considering the man ended up taking the money. He must have not cared much, Levi figured.

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><p>Another night, more money; this time Pixis wanted his boys to work at the local bar The Smiling Titan where drunks would pay a grand without even realizing it just to get head from a cute boy in fishnet. The thing about most of these men, Levi noticed, was that they were all married. They hadn't told him that though. Levi could just see the glimmer of their ring out of the corner of his eye every time he took another upstairs, gave them one of the most seductive smiles that he could and pounced on them the moment they laid in bed.<p>

Whips, chains, candle wax, dildos, gags, handcuffs, name calling, spitting, slapping—Levi had seen it all. It hadn't fazed him too much anymore—not while in the process, but once they were gone and he was lying in a dirty hotel bed he had been assigned to, it made him want to vomit. All of the fake smiles, dirty talk and sexual acts had made him feel nothing short of dirty.

"Thanks, babe." His most recent client, a broad dusty blond kid with a gross hair cut grinned while zipping up his pants. Levi laid drained at the head of the bed, bare and dripping and too tired to even smile. After the man put on his shirt, he slapped Levi's ass before leaving the room… _disgusting._

He lifted himself with weak, shaking arms and sucked in a deep breath before doing the process all over again. He washed up in the conjoined bathroom, sprayed himself with perfume, put his clothes back on and filed down the bar stairs with trembling legs. His body needed sleep but his boss was eyeing him from the other side of the room, giving him a warning look and then nodded to the left of him. Levi's eyes met where the bald man signaled; a brunet sat at the bar next to him and had at least 12 shot glasses surrounding him.

_Great, a drunk._

Drunks were savages—they didn't care about what they were doing because most of them didn't fully even know, but they were the best to steal from. Getting into their wallets were easy after they passed out and most of them had and couple hundred on them. With a reluctant sigh, Levi quickly filed down the rest of the stairs and strutted across the room before he hopped into the bar stool next to the man.

He had angry emerald eyes, staring at nothing but the bottles displayed behind the bar. His eyes looked unfocused and his hands hadn't moved from the bar ever since Levi stepped out of the room. Levi cleared his throat, perked up his voice a bit and put on a playful but discreet smile. He plucked the shot glass from the man's motionless hands and earned the brunet's attention.

"You alive?" Levi cooed. Short and simple; start short and simple, he reminded himself.

"Perfectly." The man scowled and took his glass back.

"You even old enough to be drinking?" Levi questioned. He leaned closer and propped his head on his hand. "You look as if you're not even out of high school."

"I don't want to fuck you, okay?"

_Rude._

Levi rolled his eyes and huffed. His eyes averted away as the man downed the shot in his hand and requested another. Levi crossed his legs, feeling stubborn and a bit offended. He ordered a drink instead of persisting the man or moving onto his next client. Within 10 minutes, he strolled away from the bar with a strawberry daiquiri and headed to his usual booth.

_Officially off the clock._

"Levi!" His mood instantly perked up as he saw his friends. Hanji, Farlan and Isabel were all sitting in a booth of the bar, beers in hand and laughing with one another. Isabel grinned at him, "We've been waiting for you!"

"I've been waiting to get off." He drawled and took a seat beside Isabel.

Hanji cackled suddenly, "I just realized you look better in fishnets than I do!"

"I'll always look better than you in anything." He bit the straw of his drink and playfully winked to the woman who had just created an uproar of laughter at their table. Levi couldn't even help to smile a bit, feeling a bit bubbly this night. While his ass was definably sorer than hell, the booze was starting to take a toll on his body. Instead of spending the rest of the night fucking nasty men, he actually got a chance to spend time with his friends for the first time this week. Dancing, laughing, singing, loud music, hands on his… strangers touching him, hands wrapping around his waist and Pixis's voice in his ear, "You've got a client waiting for you."

Nothing lasts forever.

He swatted the old man's hands off of him and grimaced. Tearing away from his friends and ignoring their mock cat calls, he shoved through the crowd and damned himself for not getting more to drink earlier. He made it to the stairs and sighed, taking one step then another. Dreadfully, he made his way up and into his assigned hotel room. As the aroma of sex and overly used air freshener hit him hard, he mustered up a smile and straightened his back before shutting the door behind him.

He turned to face his client—this time, his forced smile turned into pursed lips to seal his laughter.

"Thought you didn't want to fuck me?"

"I don't." His voice was almost as sharp as his eyes. He had been standing in the center of the room, hands stuffed in his pockets and a disgusted expression on his face. "I wanted to talk to you."

"Hah? About what? I still charge for talking, you know."

"My sister was in this business." He spat. He looked Levi up and down with a scowl tugging his lips before glancing around the room. "Until someone choked her out—they put her into a coma. They tied her down and just kept choking her," the man took two steps forward, and Levi took one back. His smile had faltered. "He just kept fucking her, too." Two more steps; Levi's back was to the door and his hand on the knob. This wouldn't be the first time someone tried to scare him. "They kept fucking her even after her eyes rolled back, after her tongue swelled and she stopped breathing."

"And?" Levi breathed. Thin brows furrowed. "Why are you telling me?"

"Your neck," he pointed towards Levi; the ravenet brought a hand to his own neck. "Someone choked you. I noticed it while you were ordering your drink."

Levi shook his head, trying to remember if a client _had_ choked him—there had been so many he couldn't even remember. Stubbornly, he crossed the room, past the stranger and into the conjoined bathroom where he looked at himself in the mirror. He craned his head up and poked at the flesh on his neck where hickeys and bite marks sat. Underneath that was, like the man said, a long mark across his neck and a bruise underneath his ear.

"Why'd you let them do that?"

Levi looked at the stranger from the mirror; he was leaning on the frame of the door, arms crossed.

"I don't make the rules."

"You're gonna get killed."

"What the _fuck_ do you care?"

Levi turned, the heels of his boots clicked on the tiles of the floor. His brows furrowed tight and he squinted his eyes. Part of him wanted to spit in this guy's face, the other part wanted to apologize. Alternatively, he pushed past the man and stormed back into the room with the bed where he collected his pre-packed clothes from the dingy dresser in the room. Not wanting to change here or even be in the same room with this guy any longer, he grabbed all of his things and packed them into his messenger bag.

He slammed the door behind him, leaving the stranger in the room by himself and hurried down the stairs again. Ignoring his friends, boss and co-workers, he stormed out of the bar and glanced one more time to the window of his hotel room before stripping his boots off, tossing them into the parking lot of the bar and walked all the way home bare footed.

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><p>"Hit the bars again." The four words Pixis spilled out of his smirk before waving Levi and Farlan off.<p>

Levi, dressed in a dull red leather shorts that came only about two inches from his groin and an oversized, extremely transparent white t-shirt thrown over and exposing his collar bones and shoulder. He wore a different pair of boots from the ones he had thrown in a fit of anger; they were clunky and covered in straps, the toes were covered in scuffs from their long life span but they were his favorites and throwing them away was not an option.

His partner, Farlan, and childhood friend, had been an expert on kinks—maid uniforms, cat tails and ears, collars and leashes. He wore his usual cat ears, a cat tail hanging from the leggings he wore. On top was a ripped up black and beige dress and a pair of black heels clicked with every step he took next to Levi.

"Want to get a drink before we do this?" Farlan asked.

And that's how Levi ended up absolutely shitfaced; drinks on Farlan, shot after shot for the past two hours. A man had taken him to the pub's bathroom for a quickie and he got 200 out of it to buy the next round. Not even realizing what he was doing, he and Farlan agreed to do a three some with some freshmen in college. They stumbled up the stairs hand in hand, grins on all three of their faces and asses shaking with every step they took in front of the man.

It was a blond man named Reiner, Levi understood that much of their drunken agreement. As soon as the two prostitutes stepped into the room, the blond had already shoved them both into the bed and began unzipping his pants with a cruel smirk on his face. Farlan glanced to Levi, a worried expression on his sobering face. Levi was in a trance, back arched and eyes closed as his fingers felt the sheets above his head.

The man crawled on top of Levi first and immediately started clawing at Levi's shorts.

"Hey, time out." Farlan tried to shoo the man away. The man held Farlan's jaw in his large hand and gave a warning glare as the last of Levi's shorts finally came free. Farlan ignored the man's grasp and grit his teeth. "Man seriously, he's too drunk for this—leave him alone."

"Shut it bitch." The man growled. He ignored Farlan's plea.

"Levi—" Farlan's words fell short as Levi shoved his lips against his. Farlan shoved his friend off, "Levi, stop it! You too, dude, stop! Christ… I'll fucking give you a freebie if you just leave him the fuck alone."

"I said shut up!"

_Slap!_

Farlan's eyes went wide. His bottom lip stung and he had to blink back the tears. The man was huge, muscular as hell—he couldn't fight him, he knew that; and Levi's buzz seemed to sober up in a matter of seconds. Blood rushed in his ears and his blood got hot at the sight of his childhood friend holding his bleeding mouth. Levi swung his fist, getting his wrist caught by the larger man.

"Fucking sluts." The man spat. Long fingers gripped one wrist of Levi's, and the other was preparing his shaft for Levi's entrance with his knees pinning Levi's legs to the bed. Levi twisted under the grip and tried to shake himself free while Farlan tried to shake his head free of the whiplash he had received. Pressure filled him up, stretched him; he gagged at the penetration. "S'all you are." Reiner added.

"Get the fuck off!" Levi demanded. He shoved his free hand against Reiner's bulging and still clothed chest in a pathetic attempt to shove him off. The man ignored him, thrusting himself in and out with a steady pace that wasn't even bothered by Levi's small fight.

Those fingers in Levi's hair jumped to Levi's jaw where he gripped tightly, twisting the skin underneath. Levi grit his teeth and trashed as best as he could under a 300 pound bag of flesh and steroids. He bit his tongue at the sudden clamp of fingers gripping at his neck. He hissed out a long breath as his airway began shutting in. The stranger from last night's words ran through his head.

"_They just kept fucking her."_

_Oh God_—he was going to become comatose just like that man's sister—or worse. _Oh fuck._ Panic. Unsteady, harsh breathing—barely enough oxygen to call breathing. His ears popped and his eye sight started to go dark. He couldn't feel the man's thrusts anymore. He craned his head, trying to free some of the grip but with no hope. His arm started going numb, his head filled with pressure, he couldn't close his mouth.

"_HELP!"_

Levi recognized Farlan's voice—screeching like a wild animal. He heard pitter patter of Farlan's heels on the wooden floor and the sound of a door slamming into the wall. Seconds later, Reiner's voice spat out a quick "Fuck." before the world came back to Levi in one tidal wave rush. The tightness on his throat released, he sucked in a deep breath and kicked his legs weakly. He rolled to his side, noticing the man wasn't between his legs anymore. He coughed enough to make his throat raw and clawed at the sheets of the bed, sucking in as much oxygen as the world would allow him.

"What's goin' on?!" Pixis's voice sounded fuzzy in his ears. He buried his face in the sheets while someone threw a sheet over him. A hand with numerous rings, Pixis's hand, patted his head, "Levi, stay awake, son. The guards are looking for that bastard now."

"_A coma."_

Like hell he'd like himself fall asleep. Even after Pixis was heard leaving, he struggled to keep his swollen eyes open. It took what felt like an hour, but only 20 minutes, until he finally had the energy to lift himself up. With trembling hands, he sat to the edge of the bed and grabbed his shorts that had fallen to the floor and slipped them on past his boots.

A knock at the door kept him from falling off of the bed.

"Coh—" He choked on his words, coughed into his fist and tried clearing his throat. His voice was breathless and raspy when he finally answered, "Come in."

"How did I fuckin' know it'd be you?"

Levi looked up at the voice. He wished now there was some way to hide his face from the shame that absolutely overtook his body, but instead he took sudden interest in an empty corner of the room and furrowed his brows. His body was sheeted in sweat and his ass hurt more than he had a desire to talk to this smug asshole—the same brunet from last night, wearing an ugly green sweater and dark denim jeans.

"Wh… what do you want now?" His anger didn't show through the pain in his throat.

"They're downstairs yelling about someone choking out a prostitute, considering the circumstances, I agreed to help out. Some bald dude told me to come keep you company after I told him the story about my sister. Somehow I knew it'd be your stupid ass."

"Well, you've done your good deed of the year. So fuck off now." Levi held his throat as he spoke, one eye twitching closed from the pain.

"Stop rubbing it, you're just going to make it worse." The brunet sighed. "Look, I don't think you want to go to a hospital considering your line of work, so would you just let me take care of that for you?"

"I'm fine."

"Like hell. How long were you choked for? You probably have brain damage."

"What are you, a fucking doctor?"

"I was actually, yeah." The man said as-a-matter-of-factly. "And right now you look like you're in need of one—one that won't turn you in?"

He was right; Levi had to give him that at least. With this prostitute chain Pixis was running they weren't allowed to talk about their work or else they'd get fired, or worse, arrested. With a reluctant sigh, Levi nodded and accepted the offer. A sun kissed hand reached out for his, and Levi took it with trembling fingers. The man walked close to Levi but didn't touch him unless Levi threatened to fall over.

Pixis stopped them just as they made it to the front door of the bar, "Where you goin'?"

"I—"

"I'm taking him back to my place to fix his head before he gets permanent brain damage from being in this shit hole too long." The man finished.

"Uh-huh." Pixis looked him up and down, "What's the address?"

"Why?"

"We don't need some fuckin' rat. Tell me your address and name or leave my boy here."

"Fine." The brunet sighed and rolled his eyes. A bit of relief washed over Levi even if it hadn't shown. He held his stomach at the wave of nausea that filled his gut. "My name is Eren Jaeger. I live at 540 Sina Lane. Anything else or can I save your "boy's" life now?"

Levi committed his name to memory.

"I don't see why not."

"Come on," Eren lazily grabbed at Levi's elbow but let go.

Levi followed on his heels, wanting to ask about Farlan, but the loud bass in the back of the bar was making him sick. He remained silent and decided he'll just text his friend later. Eren walked Levi to a motorcycle and handed him a helmet. As Levi put the plastic clunk over his head Eren got on front without one. Levi was partially concerned with that but didn't have it in him to argue. The brunet motioned for him to get on, and he slid onto the bike and seated himself close to Eren. Considering his job consisted of being in constant bodily contact, he wasn't shy to wrap his arms around Eren's waist but the brunet seemed to adjust forward uncomfortably.

"If you feel like your arms will give out tell me, okay? Remember my name? It's Eren. Don't forget it." Eren looked over his shoulder and Levi nodded. "Okay, hang on."

His concern was duly noticed to Levi and he was thankful for it; he didn't have the pride to show it, though. He grabbed at the front of Eren's shirt as the motorcycle started humming underneath him; it reminded him just how sore he was down there. Eren kicked his legs against the ground a few times to reposition the bike, and before Levi knew it, they were taking off at full speed. The bitter chill in the wind beat harshly against his exposed skin and he could only imagine what Eren was feeling without a helmet.

Brunet hair whipped against the helmet's protected filter. Levi tried to pay less attention on the pulsation sensation in his head and gut and more on the street lights they passed. He looked up to the stars overhead, the moon in front of them and the shadowed trees aligned around sidewalks and roads. He had almost forgotten how gorgeous it could be outside and it was even better going 60 MPH down empty back roads and arms wrapped around a warm stranger. The feeling was intoxicating.

The feeling ended when Eren had finally slowed down and pulled into a driveway. He turned the bike off and waited for Levi to remove his helmet and stumble off. Eren had to hurry to his feet and wrap his arms around a falling ravenet. Levi's skull was an inch from hitting the ground if it weren't for Eren's hand underneath his head and the other around his waist.

It wasn't until now that Levi realized how gorgeous this man was. Spiraling, wild emerald eyes wide with fear and worry, arms flexing as he held up Levi's weight and long, plump lips were parted ever so slightly. Levi could feel Eren's hot, unsteady breathing ghosting around his face where the cold air formed puffs of white.

"You okay?" Eren asked. Levi nodded despite. "Is your vision spotting? Do you think you might throw up?"

"I'm okay." He insisted. Most of his weakness was probably from the lack of taking care of his body anyway.

"Let's get you inside."

Levi began to nod and lift himself up but the sound of a grunt from Eren and his feet leaving the ground made him stiffen. The brunet lifted him, bridal style, and walked him all the way to the front door without even thinking twice about it. Levi, however, couldn't get over the gesture—someone being kind and gentle to him, it was alien to him. He didn't want to be put down, selfishly, but when Eren began fumbling with the keys and the door swung open, Eren placed Levi on the nearest couch.

While Eren went back to shut the front door, Levi's eyes scanned his surroundings. First thing he noticed was there were no pictures hanging on the walls and the house smelled like nutmeg and cinnamon with a hint of musk; an animal, Levi figured out seconds later, as a giant mass of darkness bolted from a hallway and began howling at Eren. The brunet smiled, leaned over and began cooing at the thing. Relatively the house was neat besides the few dog toys scattered around and paw prints on the white carpet here and there.

There were two sofas in the livingroom that formed an 'L' shape. Between them was a coffee table covered in papers, a tablet, some pens and pencils, glasses and a coffee mug that was empty and probably has been laying out since this morning. The TV sat in a corner, huge flat screen and a few consoles were underneath. That was the messiest part of the room, consisting of game cases scattered everywhere and a bag of chips open and sitting on the TV stand.

Needless to say, the house was far less of an eye sore than Levi's apartment.

"How are you feeling?"

Levi looked at the water bottle being waved in his face and took it with a small nod. "I'm okay."

Eren took a seat across from Levi and leaned forward, his hands linked together and in between his knees. No shit he was a doctor, he even had the 'I've got bad news' sit learned. Levi unscrewed the bottle cap and mentally laughed when Eren sucked in a deep breath, he was totally preparing bad news.

"You understand what's happening with your body right now, don't you?"

"You tell me, doc." Levi mocked, taking another drink.

"Your friend says you were strangled until your eyes rolled back, so probably about 10 seconds or so; which is still bad. You didn't feel it yourself, but in this time you were fighting back hard. Your body knew it would shut down so it pretty much just spazzed out, that's why I brought you back, to make sure you didn't injure yourself in that process."

"Oookay."

"Considering your build, 5 more minutes of this would have killed you or put you into a coma, depending on when he decided to let go. Your vocal chords might have been injured as well and you have a bit more of a rasp to your voice than you did yesterday, so I'm going to just make sure you're okay there. First, I need to look at your eyes, throat, stomach, lips and nails to make sure nothing busted, so if you don't mind, I'll get to it."

"Sure."

"Alright, just go ahead and lay down then." Eren waited for Levi to lay down on the sofa and stood at the edge of the cushion closest to Levi's head. "Just let me know if I hurt you at all."

"Good luck."

Eren chuckled softly before hesitantly lifting Levi's t-shirt. He kept glancing at Levi to make sure his expression hadn't changed, and it hadn't. Levi was used to worse than this and Eren knew it. He carefully helped Levi remove his shirt before placing a warm hand to the center of Levi's chest, in between his breast bones.

"Cough."

Levi complied, forcing a cough and a sour expression tore Levi's lips. He held his throat and rubbed away the sore he couldn't reach.

"No sound of liquid, so your lungs are okay." His hand trailed to Levi's throat and he put his thumb and index finger on both of Levi's tonsils, right underneath his sharp jaw. He rubbed circles on Levi's throat before asking, "On a scale 1 to 10 how bad does that hurt?"

"About a 4."

"Good—alright," Eren mused as he lifted one of Levi's hands and looked at each individual nail; then the next hand. He nodded to himself before looking back to Levi, "Now, I just need to look at your eyes and tongue, after that we're done."

"Weird."

"Yeah, well," Eren playfully huffed before leaning over the sofa. Both of his hands gently cupped Levi's face. "Just keep your eyes open for me, okay?" Levi hummed in acknowledgement, and Eren used both of his thumbs to pull down Levi's lower lids. Levi paid attention to emerald eyes darting back and forth, getting a good look at each of his eyes before muttering, "'Kay, now just stick out your tongue."

Levi did so, sticking his tongue out. Eren pinched the end of it and Levi repelled the taste of Germ-X on Eren's fingers.

"Everything looks fine. You don't show any signs of permanent damage. You'll probably just be sick your stomach for a couple of hours or maybe a whole day." Eren explained as he stood back to his feet and helped Levi sit back up straight and put his shirt back on. "You can stay here overnight until you're well enough to go back home."

"I'll be fine."

"Besides," Eren kept talking as if Levi never said anything. He turned his back to Levi and headed down the hallway in which the dog kept running in and out of. He disappeared behind the walls and spoke up from another room, "It's not safe for you to go back to work."

"What am I going to owe you for this, considering you don't want to fuck me, you want money?" He felt like he was talking to the walls until seconds later Eren walked back in, changed in some knee high grey sweatpants and a white tank top. His arms were much more muscular than Levi would have guessed; shit, his face was getting hot.

"Leave the business." Eren tossed a clump of clothes next to Levi. "But since you probably won't listen to me, I don't want anything."

"I can pay you at least. What you've done is pretty illegal." Levi raised a brow as a small baggy of pills fell from the pair of clothes. He lifted it, glared at it and skeptically looked at Eren.

"Pain pills."

"Illegal as hell."

"Not if you don't tell."

"Do you do this often?" Levi questioned, looking back to the clothes. A pair of black sweat pants and a white t-shirt, socks and boxers. He set them aside while he popped one pill in his mouth and swigged it back with the water Eren gave him earlier.

"Not really." He admitted. He left Levi again, going into a conjoined kitchen and fumbled around with some pots and pans. "I just didn't want to see someone else end up like my sister, I guess. I was actually at the bar again tonight to talk to you. I guess it was fate."

"I suppose a 'thank you' is in order then."

"Don't worry about it." Eren smiled over his shoulder. His hands were busy at work on a stove obviously. "Do you like miso soup?"

"Are you askin' cause I'm Asian or because that's all you have in your kitchen?"

"A little bit of both. My sister loves the stuff so she likes to keep it stocked up for anywhere she goes. But, you know, she's not really eating it." He finished with a sheepish laugh. "So, you like it?"

"One of my favorites."

"Good. You need soft foods now anyway." Eren sighed. Levi nodded even though Eren hadn't looked at him. He rolled his shoulders and craned his neck before finally decided he wanted out of these clothes. As if Eren had read his mind, he spoke up and stuttered, "Oh! I totally forgot—the bathroom is down the hall in my bedroom. Go ahead and get a shower and I'll have this ready when you're out."

"You sure?" Levi asked. "You're just letting a stranger in your home like this?"

"I help people with what I can."

Levi accepted the lack of explanation for his desire for a hot shower. He left the room in silence and glanced into every room, being only 3 available, and finally found the bedroom at the very end of the hallway. It was a tacky bedroom; a lot of mixed colors. Red sheets with a dark blue, thick blanket. White walls were plastered in framed movie and game posters. A computer was in the corner of the room and the screen saver had just rolled over to a picture of Eren with a blond and ebony haired couple. He shrugged it off and deciphered the bathroom from the closet.

The bathroom was small but clean. A white tiled floor, white walls and one window covered with a white curtain. Eren definably wasn't too big on décor. Under the sink were the towels and Levi grabbed one, sat it on the edge of the sink with the clothes Eren had given him. He prepared the water and stripped himself of his clothes before getting into the small shower. A part of him desperately wanted to be nosey, but the other didn't want to push his luck.

He showered quickly instead and used the strange soaps and shampoo. They must have been custom ordered because the shampoo and conditioner scent was pumpkin spice and the soap was a nutmeg—like Levi had guessed beforehand. The kid must really love the smell considering his whole house smells like it.

When he was done showering, he sighed a breath of relief that he was finally free of his grime. When he finished dressing, he wiped away the steam on the mirror and observed himself for a few minutes. There was a rash on his neck from earlier and bruises dotted on his body. He shook his head, tried to ignore it and combed his hair back with his fingers before leaving the bathroom and coming face to face with the brunet.

He had been sitting on the bed, a laptop at the end and he on the head. He looked up at Levi with a smile and sat his own bowl of soup next to another on his bed stand.

"We can go to the livingroom if you want. I usually eat in bed though."

"I don't mind." Levi shrugged. Really, he didn't care right about now.

"I fixed up the guest room, so when you get tired just go ahead and find the open door in the hall. But now, we can eat and watch an episode or two of whatever you want."

"Sounds good."

"Just drop your clothes by the door, I'll wash them in the morning."

"How long do you plan on me staying? 'Cuz I have to work tomorrow." Levi muttered. He dropped his clothes where Eren had pointed and crossed the room. Eren had been on top of the covers, so Levi slipped underneath to avoid any strange contact. He sat next to Eren and observed the screen with Netflix on it. He noticed a Facebook tab open, telling him he had a message from someone named Armin but Eren wouldn't check it.

"I don't think you should work tomorrow." Eren offered. He handed Levi his bowl of soup. "In fact I can just get you a job at the local clinic; the pay is good. It'd be much better than… what you do."

"Don't." Levi sighed. The last thing he wanted was to come off as rude after all that Eren had done for him but he really didn't want to hear the pity speech Eren had in store.

"Okay, fine." Eren retreated. He gave Levi a pouted look before looking back to his screen. He scrolled through the various movies as he spoke, "I can take you home tomorrow I guess. You're welcome to stay as long as you want though."

"Thanks."

"Mm," Eren hummed. "Also, Levi is your name right?"

"Yeah."

"That's your real name?"

"Yeah." He repeated.

"Just making sure." Eren smiled, trying not to seem to offensive about the question. "So what kind of shows are you into?"

"I'unno, anything really."

"Uhh," Eren hummed. "Well, we can watch Dexter. I never started it but my friend Armin told me it was really good."

"Oh, yeah, my friend is obsessed over that show. She'd probably shit herself if she knew I'd watch it."

"Jeez," Eren's laugh shook the bed. "Okay, so it's decided."

Eren lifted a remote from the side of his bed, pressed a button and the lights dimmed off in the room. Levi felt a bit strange being in bed with a man and not being fucked. It was odd but nice, he concluded, and took a sip from his lukewarm soup. It was harsh on his throat at first, and Eren froze when Levi coughed, giving him a worried glance before Levi muttered, "I'm okay," and prompted Eren not to worry. Eren pursed his lips and pressed play on the first episode.

Silently, they drank their soup and watched the show. Every so often Levi would have to clear his throat or cough a lump away; he hoped he wasn't annoying Eren but the way the brunet was acknowledging his dog, soup and show more than him gave him a strange bit of relief—that didn't last long. By the time Eren had finished his soup he slid himself under the covers and Levi tensed when he felt their legs brush together.

By the time he had finished his own soup and they were on the third episode, Levi really felt like he should go to the guest room now. Eren's head bobbed every so often as if he'd started falling asleep. Levi was wide awake though; he could never sleep in a strangers home. He was uncomfortable to say at the least. It couldn't get worse, right?

Wrong. Eren fell asleep; hard and all at once. One minute he was staring forward and the next his entire body had slumped over onto Levi's shoulder and his head fell into the crook of Levi's neck. The ravenet's entire body coiled tight and he was stuck between slipping out of bed and waking the brunet up or just accepting his fate.

Every attempt he made to slide out from underneath Eren resulted in Eren groaning or the dog lifting his head, threatening to start barking. Levi sighed, frustrated and shut the laptop with a foot he got free from the blankets. The sound went off, the room went pitch black dark; the only thing left to hear was the sound of Eren's deep breathing.

* * *

><p>He woke up suffocating—it felt like there was a ton of bricks on top of him. Silver eyes peeled open and blinked out the sleep. He looked down; black, tangled hair was sleeping on his legs—Eren's stupid dog. And Eren was still sleeping on him, except he had much roller over since Levi fell asleep. Brunet hair tickled his face and one of Eren's hands had slipped underneath his shirt and was resting on his bare chest. One of Eren's legs was tucked close to his groin, right above the dog, and his knee was pressing right into the lump forming underneath the sheets.<p>

"Fuck." He whispered to himself. His head fell back to the pillow and a frustrated sigh left his lips. One of his arms was caught underneath Eren, meaning he couldn't get out of this even if he wanted to. He forced himself to go back to sleep, even if it killed him.

The second time he woke up the weight was completely gone. He felt around the sheets for Eren but the bed was empty this time, not even the dog was there anymore. He bit his tongue in slight embarrassment that Eren had woken up like that but pushed the feeling away. He rolled out of the bed and straightened himself up before leaving the bedroom door that had been closed.

"Eren?" He called.

"Kitchen!"

Levi stepped over the fur ball snoozing in the middle of the hallway, stretching from wall to wall, and made his way into the kitchen where Eren was still in pajamas, cooking another soup on one burner and eggs on the other. He greeted Levi with a grin.

"Did'ya have trouble finding the guest room?" Eren cooed. He laughed sheepishly at Levi's glare.

"Something like that."

"Sorry I fell asleep on you."

"Literally."

"Huh?"

"Nothing." Levi propped himself on the counter and tried to subdue the growling in his stomach.

"You should eat more."

"I eat plenty."

"Levi, I'm a doctor." Eren gave him one of _those_ looks, the kind that Levi gives when he knows someone is bullshitting him. "I can tell you don't eat much."

"I don't really have time to."

Eren didn't reply, he only sighed as his smile faltered into a frown. Both of them knew that Levi knew what Eren would say next; so Eren saved his breath and continued poking at the eggs with a fork while Levi swung his legs from the end of the counter in silence.

"My birthday is coming up," Eren spoke up. "There's going to be a big party and I want you to come."

"Why do you want me to come?"

"Because, you're my friend now."

"When's the party?"

"It was supposed to be this weekend but Armin is leaving for a vacation on that weekend. So I rescheduled for tonight."

"I can't go."

"Got something better to do?"

"It's a Friday night and there's a lot of money to be made." Levi blurted sourly. He could see the disgust peel over Eren's face even if it were momentarily.

"Hey, make it up to me." Was this some sort of guilt trip? Levi scoffed and rolled his eyes. Eren turned his back from the stove and put both hands on each side of Levi, gripping the counter. His bottom lip poked out and his eyes got wide for a puppy dog face. "Please?"

"Oh God how old are you?"

"I'll be 24 this weekend and you won't be there." His long lashes blinked.

"Now you're pissing me off." Eren got closer, his stomach grazed against Levi's knees and sent chills up the ravenet's spine. He scooted further back on the counter and groaned. "Fine, I'll go. Just fuck off."

"Rude." Eren's face fell back to normal and he returned to the stove.

"Yeah, whatever. Just take me home before noon so I can get you a shitty gift."

"You don't have to."

"I'm not going to the birthday of a man who saved my life without a gift."

"Fair enough." He perked. "Promise you won't go back to the bar?"

"Hah?"

"I don't want you being late, so promise me you won't go to work today."

"Sure, whatever."

"Okay, done!" Eren flipped the knob of the stove off and started filing plates and own bowl out of the cabinet above his head. He set both on the counter, filled the bowl with soup and the plate with eggs and handed it to Levi. Patiently, Levi waited for Eren to make his own plate before they started walking towards the bedroom and back into bed.

"I can take you home after this if you want."

"Yeah, that'd be good." Levi mumbled with a hand covering his full mouth. He swallowed and grit his teeth at the sore still in his throat. "So what're we watching?" Eren hadn't moved, hadn't even taken a bite from his food. He was staring at his hands tucked into his crossed legs. Levi sat his food on the bed stand and eyed the boy cautiously before asking, "Hey, what's wrong?"

"You remind me of my sister." He sheepishly laughed, rubbed the back of his neck and looked up with those emerald eyes. "Sorry, that's a weird thing to say."

"Tell me about her." It was the least he could do, Levi supposed; listen to him ramble on about his sister.

"Well," Eren started. "She's mean as hell," he laughed. "To most people. I guess. She's overprotective against me and Armin—we all grew up together. She… wanted to be a body builder, but after our dad left she had to bring money into the house, so she… you know. She tried to support us and my mom all at the same time."

"It worked, too. She brought in about 600 a week, but I could never really… look at her the same. All I could imagine was her sprawled out waiting for some guy to fuck her, pay and then just leave her there." His eyes twisted shut and his chin wrinkled for a second, showing the slight sign that he might break. He covered his face with both hands and tried to play it off with a laugh.

"Then one night she just didn't come home." An obvious sob. A deep, shaky breath. "I found an envelope underneath her bed sheets with my name on it and 7 grand in it. A note was inside, telling me that it was all for me and to spend it wisely." He cleared his throat, wiped his eyes and smiled bashfully. "So I went to medical school and got my degree, but she still hasn't woken up."

The only thing left to be heard was the birds chirping outside, clutter from a nearby junk yard and the refrigerator buzzing in the other room. Eren had finished his story and Levi had nothing to say, other than a cliché, "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault." Eren laughed through the tears streaming on his face. He playfully groaned and wiped his face. "So you remind me of her because… your career choice, mostly, but because you're cold like she was. You try to lie when you're upset, can't ask for help for shit and have the worst attitude I've ever seen."

"Gee, thanks."

"But you're a good friend, I know; and now we're friends."

Levi wasn't sure when this transition from strangers to friends happened but he couldn't say he really cared much. All his mind was focused on now is how the hell he's supposed to comfort a grown man, crying on the other side of the bed from him. A few jokes came to mind but with Eren's hate for the prostitution ring, he kept his mouth quiet.

"S-sorry," Eren sputtered.

He held his mouth with white knuckles and shot up from the bed. Quickly, he tried darting for the bathroom, but Levi got up just as quickly, grabbed the brunet's arm and forced him to stay in one spot. Eren glanced at him, tried to pry Levi's hand off and fake a quick smile—Levi wasn't going to buy it. He pulled the younger man in, bringing chocolate hair against his neck and wrapped his arms around Eren's waist.

"Y-you really do r-remind me of her." His body shook in Levi's hold. Skittishly, Eren threw both of his arms around Levi's neck and buried his face in between Levi's shoulder and jaw. No more compression; an audible sob came from Eren, one that broke even Levi's heart and loud enough for Eren's dog to come trotting in with a whine. Levi hadn't minded the tears dripping into him or even the claws digging into his shoulder. He squeezed Eren closer, allowing the boy to cry on him.

"This is weird." Eren mumbled with another shy laugh. He shook his head and pushed away from Levi, but both kept their arms wrapped around one another. Eren leaned back to look down at the shorter male, and Levi could see that 20 seconds of hesitation—the confusion that a few of his clients had; the ones that didn't want to screw him at first, then changed their mind. That's what Eren looked like right now—Levi was turning into an object under Eren's depression.

"I should go." Levi was the first to break away. Eren nodded, his expression changing from hungry to calm. Levi lifted one hand and wiped away one tear still lingering in the corner of Eren's eye. Eren smiled before using both of his hands to wipe his face clear and sucked in a deep breath.

"I can drive you home."

"Nah, I can get a friend to pick me up. She can help me decide on your gift anyway."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I just need to use your phone since mine is at home."

"Yeah, no problem."

Eren smiled and fished through his pocket before unlocking his phone and handing it over to Levi. Levi dialed in the number he had memorized; Hanji's, and watched Eren slip back into bed while the phone rang. Levi sat on the edge of the bed, feeling a bit guilty for making Eren cry now that he saw the brunet picking at his food.

"_Hello?"_

"Hey, it's me." Levi spoke.

"_Levi?"_ Hanji breathed in awe. _"Are you okay? Everyone is worried about you!"_

"I'm fine, I just need a ride and some help with something."

"_Where are you?"_

Levi repeated the question to Eren, gave Hanji the address and quickly hung up afterwards. "She said she'll be here in about 20 minutes."

"While you're at it, call yourself from my phone so I can text you the details later."

An idea came to mind as an attempt to cheer up the brunet instead of leaving him a total mess. He smirked to himself, dialed his own number and put it on speaker. "Hey, you've reached Levi. Leave a message or fuck off."

"Pff," Eren smiled. "What kind of voicemail is that?"

Levi ignored him, waited for the automatic voice to finish and then cleared his throat before he heard the beep. Raising his voice a pitch higher, he spoke into his own voicemail, "Hey, it's Eren, just wanted to call and tell you you're a total asshole and I hate you, Levi."

"What!"

"Fuck you, bye."

Eren's laughter bellowed and shook the bed as Levi hung up the phone. He smiled to himself, feeling a bit of accomplishment in making the doctor laugh. He handed Eren his phone back and smiled when Eren wouldn't stop laughing—so much that tears, of happiness Levi hoped, were collecting in his eyelashes and his face was turning a hue of pink.

"Calm down, don't bust a fuse." Levi mocked with a chuckle in his voice.

"God, you're an ass!" Eren playfully swatted at Levi's arm and stood up to put Levi's height to shame.

"Well—"

A ringing doorbell and the dog beginning to go on a barking fit cut Levi off and stopped Eren's laughter fit. Eren jumped out of bed and jogged with the dog, playfully challenging him as he left to get the door. Levi waited on the bed, half suspecting it would be Hanji.

"Armin, hey!"

_Shit. Shit, fuck._

Levi shot up from bed and his head whipped back and forth, thinking of a place to hide or—

"Hey, Levi, I think your ride is here too." Eren's voice called from the livingroom.

_Shit._ The hell was wrong with this kid? He considered jumping out of the window and running to Hanji's car before anyone saw him.

"Levi," Eren's head poked in. "Did you hear me?"

"Yeah." Levi stood motionless, frozen and breathless in the middle of the room. Eren eyed him curiously before leaving the room again, to which Levi followed this time.

"Oh, I got your clothes—wait here." Eren stopped, "Armin, Levi, Levi, Armin. Okay, be right back."

"Nice to meet you." Armin, the yellow haired boy, extended his hand. Levi hesitantly took it and shook.

"Leeeevi!" Hanji's voice rang annoyingly outside. Without much manners, she wasn't shy to just poke her head right in. "Ohp—sorry," She smiled to Levi, "Well, I'm here! Can I come in?"

No.

"Sure, Eren won't mind." Armin smiled.

"Oh, cool. Woah, nice place. You're the owner? I never knew Levi was into blonds."

"Here's your clothes—oh. Hi." Eren stopped, Levi's clothes were thankfully in a plastic baggy.

"Ohhh, now it makes sense." Hanji cooed.

"Shut up." The ravenet warned.

"What?" Armin and Eren asked in unison. Hanji's signature cackle made both of them wince.

"Boyfriend?" Hanji pointed to Eren with her thumb and lifted an eyebrow to Levi.

"No." Levi growled. He took the clothes from Eren and pushed past all three of them. Hanji followed, holding a smile back with her hand placed over her mouth.

"Levi, wait!"

Fucking hell—too much was happening. Too many people were talking. It was giving him a headache.

"What?" He asked rather coldly. Eren smiled faintly before pulling the ravenet into a tight hug, taking Levi by surprise. He froze on the touch and by the time he finally slid his hand to Eren's waist, Eren was already moving back.

"I'll see you tonight?" Eren asked; Levi nodded. "Remember our promise."

"I will."

"Thanks."

"Ahh, cute!" Hanji squealed. Levi shot her a warning glare before taking two steps back, giving Eren one last polite glance and piling into the car with the obnoxious redhead. As soon as the doors closed, she smacked Levi's arms and hissed, "You didn't tell me you had a boyfriend!"

"He's not my boyfriend!"

"Oh please." Hanji rolled her eyes and started up the car. "So what'd you need help with?"

"I need to get Eren a birthday gift. I have to stop by my house though and get some clothes."

"What's wrong with those?"

"…They're Eren's."

"_AHH-HAHA!"_

* * *

><p>"Birthday, huh?" Hanji called to the next room. She looked Levi up and down, who was now dressed in casual grey jeans and a loose black sweater that showed off his collar bones and came only halfway down his arms. "That looks good—I liked the other outfit better though."<p>

"No, we'll stick with this." He sighed and pulled the sweater off over his head. 13 outfits later he finally found one that he wanted to stick with and now he folded it up and stuffed it into Hanji's contraption of a purse for later. He replaced his top with a red tank top that and slipped on his black flats. "Now I need your help—I have no idea what the hell to get this brat."

"Well, what does he like?"

"I dunno, dogs and doctor shit."

"Doctor?"

"He's a doctor."

"What about one of those cute plushies; a dog with a little doctor outfit on?"

"That's fucking stupid."

"Well, you asked."

"Something normal and… mature, yeah?"

"Fine, fine. We can go downtown and look around the shops."

"Ugh, Hanji…" Levi groaned. He held his head in his hands. "What the hell do I get?"

"Aw, I think you're falling in love."

"Shut the fuck up, I'm just trying to make it up to him."

"Uh huh. Then why are you worried what you look like and what to get him?"

Levi rolled his eyes and left her sitting in the livingroom again. After shopping, he'd change his shirt. For now he put on the jewelry he had prepared. He put on two necklaces; one beaded and had a wing symbol on the end, and the other with leather, entwined string; both hung down to his chest. He had a few of those plastic black bracelets that he strung on each arm, 4 on the left and 6 on the right. At least he wouldn't look like he didn't try. He checked himself out for a few seconds in the mirror, combed his fingers through his hair and tried to give it some messy volume.

"C'mon, Levi! I gotta be at work in 3 hours!"

"I'm coming!" Levi rolled his eyes and grabbed his now charged phone from the end of his bed. He turned it on. There were 16 new text messages, 7 missed calls and one voicemail—he already knew what it was, but he listened anyway. His playful voice started but all he was listening to was the laughter of Eren coming from the background.

"_What!"_

He remembered the baffled look on Eren's face and smiled to himself. He saved the message instead of deleting it. He checked his messages, ignoring the ones from Hanji, Farlan and the others and went to the unknown number sitting in his messages.

'_What're you gonna put my name under huuuuuuuh?' _and _'By the way… sorry for sleeping on you last night. Ahhcaisjfu I hoped you didn't notice'_

He scoffed under his breath and quickly responded, _'Probably Eren. And it's okay, I didn't mind.'_

"Levi! Let's go!"

"Okay!" He groaned.

He grabbed his wallet from the dresser and followed Hanji back out to her dingy pick-up truck where they piled in again. Levi watched her inhaling a McDonalds burger the entire time, part of him starving and the other half disgusted with the meal. By the time they finally got to downtown Sina, his stomach had won him over. He stopped off at a café and got a bagel and coffee that he munched on as they walked down the streets. It was surprisingly a bit warmer than usual, warm enough for Levi not to need the sweater.

"What about this place?" Hanji pointed to a record shop.

"I don't know what kind of music he likes." He sighed. Both of them turned away from the store with a defeated sigh. Suddenly, Levi remembered, "Wait! He really likes games and movie posters and tv shows and shit."

"Like?"

"He likes… Dexter."

"OH MY GOD." Hanji's voice went about two tones deeper as her jaw dropped. "Now that I can help you with!"

"How about the whole season?"

"The whole series!" She corrected. "You can get the limited edition one that comes with a poster and t-shirt!"

"Alright, alright. Calm down, creepy."

Hanji had dragged him all the way to the nearest FYE, which was two blocks away, and 80 dollars later Levi had a whole book of discs in his hand filled with all kinds of limited edition goodies, Hanji would say. They left the store with a pouting redhead, "You never buy me this kind of stuff."

"You don't ask."

"I have to ask for gifts?"

"Want me to go get you one?"

"I was kidding, no!" She waved her hands. "Besides I already have it." Levi shrugged and glanced at his phone for the time, but noticed he had a new message from Eren. Hanji interrupted him from checking it, "You should leave a note in the disc or something telling him he can't watch it without you—that's a good pick up line, right?"

"Hah? I'm not picking anyone up."

_Eren:  
>The party will be in 2 hours at the Shiganshina Club. You can be early or late, I don't care. :P<em>

"Wanna drop me off at Shiganshina Club?" Levi asked Hanji. "The party is just before you have to go to work."

"Sure! Wanna get some lunch before we go? We can leave an hour before it starts."

"Yeah. I just have to go one place beforehand." Levi agreed; and over lunch he got an entire earful of cheesy pick-up lines and dating advice on his first relationship. No matter how many times he told Hanji that they were just friends, she kept on as if she didn't hear him. Eventually he just tuned her out and stared out of the window, waiting for time to go by. He wasn't sure why he was getting excited to see Eren again, except that after this he'd never have to see Eren again. Was that really all that got his heart racing?

After their lunch, they piled into Hanji's truck yet again. The drive there wasn't too long, considering that it was just a few blocks away from where they already where. Levi changed in the car, pulling the sweater over his bare torso and smoothening it out. He played with his hair again, making it fluff in the back over his buzz cut, but no matter what he did he couldn't get the wind-blown tangles out.

"Ready for me to pull around?"

Levi rolled his eyes, despite his gratefulness of Hanji's understanding. She was a good friend like that—being a match maker, giving him advice and making sure he was all settled before coming up to his cru—_friend_. She always looked out for him, kind of like a mother, and he always tried to do the same. She pulled around the corner and to the sidelines of Shiganshina where people were piled outside, waiting in a line. Other people were flashing VIP cards and getting in before others.

Levi texted Eren, _'I'm here. What should I do?'_

"He didn't give you a pass?"

"No." Levi cluelessly answered.

"Oh—isn't that him?"

Levi peeked out of her side of the window. Eren was standing outside now, holding his phone. It was the only thing that laminated his face considering the sun was starting to hide behind the buildings.

_Eren:  
>I'm outside. Just find me.<em>

_Levi:  
>I think I'll just keep watching you from a distance. You look cute just standing there like an idiot.<em>

"Ahw." Hanji cooed, peeking over his shoulder.

Levi glanced back to where Eren was standing. A smile split the brunet's face as his fingers tapped the screen.

_Eren:  
>Say it to my face.<em>

Levi couldn't stop the smile on his face, but with Hanji's coy eyes he immediately stifled his smile. He quickly bid his fair well to Hanji and shut the door in her face before she could go on about dating advice anymore. He rolled up his baggy sleeves and carried his unwrapped gift in one hand, the other waved Eren down, which wasn't too hard. Eren greeted him with a huge grin and another hug; he crushed their bodies together. Levi finally returned the hug on time, bringing one free hand to grip the back of his shirt.

When they pulled away, he jutted the bag in Eren's face. "I didn't have time to wrap it."

"That's okay," Eren chuckled. "Should I open it now?"

"I don't care."

"I'll get Armin to wrap it and put it with the other gifts."

Eren grabbed at the elbow of Levi's sweater and prompted him to follow him. This time Eren hadn't let go of him, and instead wrapped his larger hand around Levi's as he threaded them through the crowd of people, flashed his VIP to the bouncer and drug Levi inside. Without letting Levi's hand go, he led him all the way to the back of the already familiar club—Levi had already been here once or twice, picking up men and dancing for them. He didn't care tell Eren that.

"Armin!" Eren called. The blond boy turned around from talking to… someone Levi already knew. His heart panged as the same dusty blond kid that he had just screwed the other night was staring right back at him with wide eyes. "Go wrap this for me, please?"

"Sure!" Armin took the bag and left quicker than they had came.

Levi hadn't taken his eyes off of the man—the same as the man hadn't taken his eyes off of him.

"Levi?" Eren tried to match where his eyes were locked on. "Oh, that's Jean. I don't like him, really. I don't even know why he's here. Are you okay? Do you know him?" Levi didn't respond, and then something in Eren's face changed. He seemed to understand and formed a small 'o' with his lips before muttering, "Oh. I see."

"No, uh, no. I don't know him." Levi reassured him with a lie.

"You sure? Seems like he might be one of your clients."

"Happy birthday!" Levi sighed a breath of relief at the couple that had just strolled up. A redhead holding a plate of food and a bald guy with a wrapped up box in his hand.

"Hey!" Eren grinned, pulling each of them into a hug. "Connie, you shaved your head again?"

"Yeah, Sasha thought it'd be funny to shave half of it in the middle of the night." The guy huffed, crossed his arms and looked to the girl named Sasha. "Had no choice but to shave it all."

"Hahah, that's so cruel." Eren shook his head.

"We brought some food though," Sasha shoved the dish towards Eren. "Pasta, all Connie knows how to make. I threw some beef in there though so it doesn't taste like total crap."

"Hey!"

"Thanks," Eren broke up the two with a grin and took the dish.

"And gifts go… where?" Connie glanced around. He took a quick up and down look at Levi slyly before averting his gaze. Eren pointed to a table on the other side of the room absolutely overfilled with gifts, boxes and bags. Levi suddenly became a little insecure about his gift. He felt a bit of relief that he had added something extra on top of it.

Connie and Sasha waved as they left Eren with Levi again and Eren told them the usual, "Have a good time!"

Levi was actually kind of astonished with how many people were here. He had no idea Eren would be this popular. While Levi had a whopping 4-6 friends, Eren seemed to have… at least 20-30 people here to celebrate his birthday. He felt insignificant and a bit insecure; selfish, for not wanting Eren to leave him wandering around a room full of strangers; obnoxious for predicting he'd follow Eren around like a puppy the entire time.

"You look good." Levi didn't realize that Eren had spoken until he looked up and emerald eyes were looking down at him. "I-I mean, you always look good, but in… normal clothes, too, heh, you look good—I mean, ah… I'm just—forget it."

"Thanks." Levi snorted, a smile tugging one side of his lips. "You do too."

Eren looked down at himself, all he had been wearing was a plain red t-shirt and some blue jeans. He shrugged and smiled politely. There was a faint blush spreading from ear to ear.

"Done!" Levi's eyes followed Eren's, to Armin again. "And Levi, I know he will love that. He's been talking about wanting to "do" that for a while." Armin made air quotes at the 'do' in his sentence, knowing that Levi would understand just enough not to spoil the surprise.

"Hope so." Levi really did.

"I'm gonna go catch up with Jean," Armin told Eren. "I'll catch you when it's time to open gifts."

"Mm, alright! Have fun!"

Levi became tense at the awkward silence between them; he definably didn't fit in here. Luckily, Eren's attention was caught by the lights dimming down in their VIP area, and strobe lights started up with a song that had blared everyone's attention. The entire room cheered, as if this is what they were waiting for—no live band, just music, a DJ at the front of the room and people began dancing, bringing out drinks and screaming over the bass.

"Do you dance?" Eren shouted over the music. Levi rolled his eyes and Eren caught his tongue and smiled stupidly. "Right, sorry. I guess I should ask; do you want to dance? With me—I mean. Do you want to dance with me?"

"Lead the way, birthday brat."

"Do you want a drink first?"

"I don't drink outside of work." Levi informed.

"Good, because I hate getting drunk on good nights."

That made him wonder what the hell Eren was doing at the bar, drinking shot after shot before. He shrugged it off and let Eren take his hand again, where he guided him deep through the crowd until they found a clearing spot. People cheered for Eren, wishing him a happy birthday, all clapping and patting his back, some people gave him quick hugs, a strange boy with black hair kissed him on the cheek. Levi gripped Eren's hand tighter unknowingly.

Even though they had been casually shaking their hips to the beat, they waited until the next song had started up before they _really_ began dancing. Levi already knew it was a Nightstep remix of the song "Fight For You", he had danced to it before. He tried to forget the moves his dance instructor gave him and flowed along with Eren's body instead. The song started off slow, mellow, they linked their hands together, a smile stretching on Eren's face.

_Meeting, you here, the night's alight with midnight cheer. Our dust still, unsettled, I feel the plucking of our petals. I'm drawing circles don't you know, protect the seed, that wants to grow, to a garden, part of my territory._

The lyrics made Levi's face flush—he was thankful Eren couldn't see that. The music picked up and Eren lifted their hands over their heads, still linked together. Their bodies brushed together every now and again, lightly at first, and then a bit closer, more friction. Eren's hands were soft on his, emerald eyes locked with silver, flashing lights around them and masses of dark shadows dancing around them.

_I'd fight for you. I never knew that I could feel this way. I'm right for you. This kinda love don't happen everyday._

The bass of the song dropped, Eren came closer, Levi rolled his hips against Eren's pelvis and hissed quietly at a repressed moan he bit back. Eren was looking down with a smirk that Levi hadn't seen before and hadn't expected. Now it was a game of tug of war—a dirty game Levi was paid to play.

His hand left Eren's, fingertips dragging down his arm until he found the small of Eren's back and gripped at the t-shirt; the other hand was holding Eren's hand still but lowered between them. He pulled Eren down closer to him, bringing them face to face and whispered nothingness onto the crook of his neck. He heard Eren's gasp and pried his hand out of Eren's, hooked his fingers around the nape of Eren's neck.

He pulled back, looking into Eren's eyes—

"You fuckin' whore!"

Levi's world whiplashed in a series of different colors that he couldn't process; white spots filled his vision as he realized he had been thrown to the ground. A man stood over him, not Eren—staring down at him with disgust. The crowd gasped, spread apart and the music stopped. Someone flipped the lights back on.

"Jean! What the fuck are you doing?!" Eren's voice. A hand waved in front of Levi and he took it. Eren lifted him to his feet, brushed off his shirt and stepped in front of him defensively.

"Oh fuck off, Eren! He's a fucking hooker, all he wants is your money. You should thank me!"

"What?" Armin's voice squeaked in the silence. "Jean, are you nuts?"

"Fuck no! I know that expensive slut from anywhere!" All eyes were on Jean now. "Now all he's trying to do is fuck you, too and steal your money!"

Levi grit his teeth and bolted from behind Eren. Tan arms wrapped around his waist and lifted him off the floor for seconds before pulling him back. Jean jutted forward at the same time, but Armin jumped in between the two and shoved him back two steps. Armin's blue eyes looked at Eren questionably but Eren hadn't said a word. He held Levi from behind, defensively and to keep him from fighting.

"Will someone get Jean the fuck out of here?" Eren finally demanded. Levi looked back, shocked. It wasn't until now that he realized just how many people were watching him, muttering and whispering to the person next to him. Eren must have knew about Levi's intention to leave because he buried his lips into ebony hair and muttered, "Levi, just don't." Eren quietly warned. "Don't go. Don't run away. Please."

A tall brunet pushed through the crowd, his name tag read Bertholdt, and underneath it said 'security'. They escorted Jean out, but not before Jean gave Levi one last "eat shit" glare and cursed the entire way out.

"Are you okay?" Eren's arms loosened around Levi but still held him.

Levi nodded, remaining silent. He wanted to run as fast as he could out of here. People were still staring at him.

"Is he okay?" A blonde girl squeezed through the crowd. She looked at Levi with a reassuring smile, and a girl behind her watched with a lazy expression. He couldn't help but notice these two were holding hands. "Jean is such a hot-head, don't worry about him."

Levi nodded but kept his mouth shut. Little did they know is that Jean had every right to do what he did—Levi would have done the same in the situation.

"I'm Krista, and this is Ymir," she introduced herself while Eren kept his face buried in Levi's hair. His hold was much more apologetic and begging now. As if he were worried if he removed his arms for even a second Levi would bolt away. "If Jean bothers you again, just let me know. Ymir could kick his ass in a second." She giggled.

"Yeah, really. I already don't like him, so give me an excuse to hit him." Ymir answered, throwing her arm around Krista.

"Thanks you two." Eren peeked up and smiled. "I'm going to go get some fresh air. Levi, you want to come with me?"

"Yeah."

"We'll see you in a few," Eren waved to the couple and they waved back. Levi lifted a shaky hand in an attempt to wave and thank them at the same time.

By the time they had made it outside, the music was already being played again inside. Jean was nowhere in sight and the sun had long been replaced with a bright moon. This time Eren followed Levi to the sidelines of the building where Levi fell against the wall and sucked in a deep breath. His chest heaved, his nerves were shot, he wanted to hit something.

"Levi, are you okay?"

_Don't yell at him. Not on his birthday. It's not his fault. Calm down._

"I'm fine." He lied.

Eren could see that was a complete lie.

"Were you going to kiss me?" Eren asked, a bit of play in his voice.

"What?" Levi snapped. He glanced over his shoulder. "No."

"You were _totally_ about to kiss me."

"I was not." Levi defended. He sounded much ruder than he meant to come off.

"What do you call what happened back there then?"

"Tsk." Levi crossed his arms, his back still to Eren.

"I'm glad you didn't though," Eren chuckled. Levi's heart panged, and his mood instantly went sour. "Because I've never had my first kiss." He added. _Oh_. "And in a club full of sweaty people might have been weird."

"Believe it or not, neither have I—well, not a real kiss. I've never even been in a relationship."

"Really?" Eren breathed. Levi nodded. "Maybe we're more alike than we realize."

"Ereeeeen! Gifts!"

"Oh, come on," Eren grabbed a hold of Levi's wrist, not even caring that the ravenet was still in a shitty mood. It was like nothing had ever happened and Eren was just instantly over it. "You walk so slow!" Eren pouted. His feet speed up into a jog and Levi struggled to manage this awkward walk and jog. When they pushed through the main entrance, everyone had been lined up, a smile on their face as they exclaimed, "Happy birthday!"

Eren giggled in excitement and stepped into the crowd of his friends, still hand in hand with Levi who had never been more uncomfortable in his life. A few people out of the crowd pulled Eren into the center of said crowd, and where Eren went, Levi was being drug behind. Someone tried to hand Eren a gift, but he mumbled something to Armin and the blond handed him a different box. It was Levi's gift.

Eren opened Levi's gift first and gave him a reassuring wink. He tore open the wrapping paper Armin had put on and his face immediately shone with a huge smile. "Oh, how cool! This must have cost so much though—oh God, wow. Thank you, Levi!" He gave Levi an awkward side hug, and took Levi by surprise with a soft kiss on his cheek. "We _have_ to watch this together!" Hanji would shit herself.

"I put something personal inside of it, hope you don't mind."

"Huh? Pft," Eren rolled his eyes. "You shouldn't have gotten me anything at all. I told you that." Eren opened up the DVD box set. Inside was the t-shirt, which Eren adored, a poser, that he jumped in his seat about, going on about having to get a frame for it, and then a rectangle box, out of place. The box read Angel Aaltonen; one of the most expensive jewelry makers. Eren's jaw dropped and breathlessly, he asked, "You're kidding me right? Please tell me you just used this box for something other than…"

He popped the box open that was lying on his lap. His eyes didn't widen, but rather fell more relaxed. A soft smile split his flushed face and he covered his face with his hands. Was he really crying at a time like this? Jeez.

"How much did this cost?" Eren asked, happiness and tears mixing his speech.

"Enough to make it up to you." Levi watched as Eren lifted the silver jewelry out of its case; it was a sterling silver bracelet with a plate of silver in the center of it. There were words engraved on the front of the plate: _For what it's worth._ "You can return it if you don't like it. I can just give you the money—"

"Shut up." Eren laughed, his cheeks wet. "I love it. No one has ever gotten me something so… wow… how much did this cost?"

About 2 grand. "Don't worry about it. You deserve more." He wrinkled his nose at the lame comment. The entire crowd of people aw'd them and smiled.

"Put it on for me?" Eren asked. Levi nodded and took Eren's hand in his. He linked the bracelet around Eren's wrist—noticing something he hadn't before. A scar… on the underhand of Eren's soft skin. He froze once he saw it, and Eren seemed to have too by the way his breath hitched. He flipped his hand over, hiding the marking, but Levi had already seen… Eren's hand was shaking much more than before. He tried to ignore it for now, hooked the bracelet where it should and let it rest of Eren's wrist.

Eren stood up from his seat and stretched out his arms, instinctively, Levi stood with him and accepted the embrace that was given. A much longer, tighter, hug. Another kiss on the cheek, then on Levi's temple. Eren pulled away with a smile and muttered a sincere, "Thank you."

"Okay, break it up! Get a room!" The girl he had met earlier, Ymir, shouted playfully. She had a smirk on her face. "You got aaaaall of these gifts left to open, so get to it."

The night went by quicker than anyone could imagine. Gift after gift, it was needless to say that nothing could top Levi's. Games, t-shirts, posters, home décor, candy and all sorts of other things were scattered all over the table where the boxed gifts used to sit. Hugs were given, thank you's and goodbyes until it was just Eren, Armin and Levi left cleaning up the mess. It had taken about 2 hours until everything was relatively picked up and all three of them were exhausted. Levi helped the friends pack things into Armin's car since Eren couldn't carry much on his bike. They all agreed the plan was that Eren would take Levi home while Armin dropped everything off at Eren's house.

"See you there." Armin honked twice in his departure.

Now sitting on the back of Eren's bike, once again Levi only wearing a helmet, he hooked his arms around Eren's waist and rested his head on the brunet's back as they drove. Eren didn't scoot away this time, he was relaxed against Levi's grasp. It was refreshing, but like before, it didn't last. Levi was mildly embarrassed with Eren seeing the trashy apartments he lived in, but after tonight, he'd never see Eren again—so what did it matter?

"This is it?" Eren asked.

"Yeah." Levi stripped the helmet off and handed it over to Eren who rested it on the handle bar. "I'd invite you inside, but Armin is waiting for you."

"Yeah, I probably should get back." Eren sighed. He got off of the bike and stood tall in front of Levi with his hands in his pocket. "Thank you… for coming and the gifts… and for not fighting Jean." He chuckled sheepishly.

"Yeah. No problem."

"I'll… see you around?" Levi shrugged. He really couldn't see himself going out of his way to visit Eren again; he had no point to. Eren did what he wanted to do and Levi had thanked him for that; that was that, it was over, right? "O-Oh."

"I'm sure we'll see each other again." He said for the sake of being polite. Eren smiled weakly.

"Are you going to work tomorrow?"

"I don't work weekends unless I'm called in."

"You're that good, huh?" Eren forced a laugh. "Well, if you can… we could watch some episodes of Dexter and just sit around? If you're not busy, I mean… I'm sure you have other things to do."

"No, tomorrow is good." He internally cursed himself.

"So I'll text you?"

"Sure."

"Okay." Eren smiled. He looked drained. He offered a quick smile before sliding back onto his still running bike. Levi still had a question dancing on the tip of his tongue about a certain scar, but couldn't bring himself to ask. How the hell would that even work out? "Talk to you later."

Levi rolled his eyes, "Don't sound so sad."

"Huh? I'm not." _Am I really stalling? What the hell, Levi?_

Levi hunched over, grabbed one side of the brunet's face and pulled him close. He placed a soft kiss on Eren's cheek before letting go and taking two steps back. A nearby streetlight illuminated just how deep Eren had blushed from the gesture. He quickly slid his helmet on and strapped it.

"See you, Levi."


End file.
